A variety of systems are utilized in materials processing and fabrication technologies such as, for example, semiconductor processing. Exemplary processing systems include deposition systems such as various types of physical vapor deposition systems, chemical vapor deposition systems, furnaces, etc. Many of these systems include one or more processing chambers, various processing equipment and processing tools, associated interconnects, feed and/or exhaust lines, and other system components that may become contaminated during a processing event. Such contamination can be due to formation of residue materials such as one or more reagent, product or byproduct involved in or produced by the processing event. The presence of residue material on internal surfaces of the processing system can affect processing efficiency or precision, and can in some instances result in contamination of the material or device being processed.
Conventional system cleaning techniques often utilize a solvent or solvent system that is expensive, environmentally unfriendly, and/or inefficient. In some instances, systems are configured to include special components such as heated lines and/or cold traps in an attempt to reduce contamination of system components or surfaces by residue materials. Additionally, due to the intricate nature of many processing tools, equipment and internal regions of various processing systems, some areas are not highly accessible to conventional solvents, other cleaning agents or alternative techniques. Accordingly, conventional cleaning methods can be cost prohibitive and unreliable.
It would be desirable to develop alternative methods for cleaning processing systems, system components and associated tools and equipment.